Tiago Mendes

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Tiago
Personal information
Full name	Tiago Cardoso Mendes
Date of birth	May 2, 1981 (age 25)
Place of birth	Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Olympique Lyonnais
Number	21
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999-2002 2002-2004 2004-2005 2005-	SC Braga SL Benfica Chelsea FC Olympique Lyonnais	62 (4) 75 (19) 34 (4) 48 (9)
National team2
2002 -	Portugal	35 (1)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 3, 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of March 28, 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Tiago Cardoso Mendes, OIH, better known just by Tiago (pron. IPA: [ti'agu]; born May 2, 1981 in Viana do Castelo) is a Portuguese football player who plays as a midfielder. Although commonly thought of as a defensive midfielder, he can contribute to his team's attack with passes and goals.

He was first noticed as a player for Sporting Braga B, the satellite team of Sporting Braga, at 1999-00. He moved to the main team the following season, and signed for Benfica, in January 2002.

He is part of the Portugal national team, since 20 November 2002, in a 2-0 win over Scotland. He reportedly caught the eye of Arsene Wenger in the close season of 2002-03, and was rumoured to have been one of the contenders weighed up by Arsenal to replace Patrick Vieira (who was supposedly leaving Arsenal) in 2003. Vieira eventually signed a new contract with Arsenal that year.

He moved from Benfica in the 2004 offseason to play in the English Premiership with Chelsea after a £10 million transfer.

In August 2005, he transferred to Lyon for £6.5 million, after not getting enough first team opportunities at Chelsea, under manager José Mourinho's squad rotation system. However, Tiago left a good impression on Chelsea fans with his robust performances and accurate passing, as well as 5 goals for Chelsea, the last of which was a long-range stunner against Manchester United in a 3-1 victory for Chelsea at Old Trafford. Many of whom were dismayed to see him leave, even though his departure facilitated the arrival of Michael Essien, who was moving in the reverse direction from Lyon to Chelsea. Tiago has often thanked Chelsea fans for making him feel appreciated during his stint with the club and has not ruled out the possibility of ever rejoining Chelsea.

He was a leading player in the Portugal national team that qualified for the World Cup 2006 finals.

Tiago is particularly renowned for the consistency of his performances. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari famously said of Tiago that "he never gives more than 90% or less than 70% of his ability. He doesn't experience surges or dips in form, he just plays the same effective game week in and week out." Scolari's comments were supported by José Mourinho, Tiago's coach at Chelsea, who has called Tiago 'a dependable machine'.

Contents 1 Honours 2 External Links 3 Career Stats 4 National team 4.1 International goals

[edit] Honours

• Winner of Barclays Premiership in 2005 with Chelsea.
• Winner of French Ligue 1 championship in 2006 with Olympique Lyonnais.

[edit] External Links

• Tiago Mendes Tactical Formations at Football-Lineups.com

• Tiago Cardoso Mendes player information, statistics, honours, World Cup stats, UEFA Champions League stats and timeline.

[edit] Career Stats

All-Time Club Performance

Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cup		European Competition		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Olympique Lyon	06-07
	05-06	29	5	3	0	8	2	40	7
Total		29	5	3	0	8	2	40	7
Chelsea	04-05	34	4	6	0	11	0	51	4
Total		34	4	6	0	11	0	51	4
SL Benfica	03-04	29	5
	02-03	31	13
	01-02	15	1
Total		75	19
Sporting Braga	01-02	17	3
	00-01	27	0
	99-00	18	1
Total		62	4
Career Totals		200	32

[edit] National team

[edit] International goals

Tiago: International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	March 28, 2007	Belgrade, Serbia	Serbia	1-1	Draw	Euro 2008 qualifying

	Portugal squad - 2004 European Football Championship Runners-Up
1 Ricardo | 2 P. Ferreira | 3 Rui Jorge | 4 J. Andrade | 5 F. Couto | 6 Costinha | 7 Figo | 8 Petit | 9 Pauleta | 10 Rui Costa | 11 Simão | 12 Quim | 13 Miguel | 14 N. Valente | 15 Beto | 16 R. Carvalho | 17 C. Ronaldo | 18 Maniche | 19 Tiago | 20 Deco | 21 Nuno Gomes | 22 Moreira | 23 H. Postiga | Coach: Scolari

	Portugal squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place
1 Ricardo | 2 P. Ferreira | 3 Caneira | 4 R. Costa | 5 Meira | 6 Costinha | 7 Figo | 8 Petit | 9 Pauleta | 10 H. Viana | 11 Simão | 12 Quim | 13 Miguel | 14 N. Valente | 15 Boa Morte | 16 R. Carvalho | 17 C. Ronaldo | 18 Maniche | 19 Tiago | 20 Deco | 21 Nuno Gomes | 22 P. Santos | 23 H. Postiga | Coach: Scolari

Olympique Lyonnais - Current Squad
1 Coupet | 2 Clerc | 3 Cris | 4 Müller | 5 Caçapa | 6 Källström | 7 Baroš | 8 Juninho | 10 Malouda | 11 Fred | 12 Réveillère | 14 Govou | 15 Diarra | 18 Ben Arfa | 19 Benzema | 20 Abidal | 21 Tiago | 22 Wiltord | 23 Berthod | 25 Hartock | 28 Toulalan | 29 Squillaci | 30 Vercoutre | 31 Hima | 34 Rémy | 36 Idangar | 38 Benhamida | 39 Bettiol | Manager: Houllier